The genocide in 1915 Armenian writers, publicists, journalists were deprived of light, to tell the civilized world, as in advance, Turkish authorities destroyed them. Before these events, almost all photographers in Turkey and in the countries of the Middle East were Armenians. But they were also deprived of opportunities to take pictures, since it was destroyed.

After learning about the terrible events in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait, where he lived a lot of Armenians, I am a journalist of Armenian TV, videocameras went to Sumgait with the purpose to show the world about the true events that way to hide the Baku authority-authors and organizers of a new genocide against the Armenians. In the end, made the film “Сумгаитские волны” (in the YouТube) and book “Sumgait Diary”.

Until February 27, invite Your attention to page “Sumgait diary”.

BAKUR

SUMGAYIT DIARY

March 27-April 5 1988

PREAMBLE

Unbelievable news of the tragic events of Sumgayit spread about. Which one to believe? As I got informed by the refugees of Sumgayit that the trial of the slaughterers should start in April I decided to leave for Sumgayit before the process to film the traces of the pogrom. I was sure that it was the duty of every normal journalist. And I knew as well that after some time the authorities of Baku would categorically deny: ‘Nothing has happened like that, there has been no massacre, it has been concocted by the Armenians…’, as likewise they deny the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 carried out in Western Armenia and all over the territory of Turkey and the South Caucasus.

We make searches for evidences about Yeghern[1] in different archives of the world. It was described by diplomats, political, public figures of different nations. But the Armenians who had so many writers and journalists almost left nothing. Certainly, the Turkish slaughterers first of all brought together the Armenian intellectuals and exterminated them. The other factor not of a less interest is that the founders of the photographers’ studios and the first practitioners of photography in the Middle East and Turkey were Armenians but not a single Armenian made any shots of Genocide sceneries. As it seems, the Turkish butchers took care of it beforehand, too, first of all having destroyed those photographers’ studios and the photographers.

Considering that none of the Armenian journalists did not even budge and undertook nothing I made up my mind to find a way to leave for Sumgayit. I couldn’t even find a cameraman to accompany me. Surely, it was dangerous to take a film-maker from Yerevan. They could immediately recognize him yet everything should be disguised so that the local nationalists or the agents of secret services would not notice us. As my friends learned about my plan they started heaping reproaches on me: ‘Have you gone mad? Going directly to death? Don’t you know what’s going on in Sumgayit?’ But my wish to see everything with my own eyes, to find out the situation in situ and to tell the civilized world about it was beyond all measure. I knew for sure that still there were other criminals. Why, only ninety people were arrested and even figures of secondary importance who would be set free soon. And still there would be no word about the organizers of the pogrom because the main figures of the country meddled in it as the very Mikhail Gorbachev, some leaders of Kremlin, the authorities of the Azerbaijani SSR. I was convinced of it by the story of my compatriot Major-General Roman Haroutiunov, the deputy commander of the North Caucasus military region. He was involved in the delegation staff which visited Artsakh being led by Brutents, the head of the department of the International Affairs of the CPSU Central Committee[2]. As soon as he got informed about the tragic events he left for Sumgayit by his relative’s car to take his mother and sister away from Sumgayit where they lived. At the outskirts of the town he met the divisional commander, previously under his command General Valery Sokolov with his column. Sokolov informed that still there was no permission from the ruling top to enter the town. They said it was not high time….

Soon after I got a practice of how to function the buttons of the ordinary Japanese video camera M-3 given to me by Dionis Margaryan, a lieutenant colonel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, first I left for Stepanakert. The director of the regional stadium Razmik Petrosyan, also a member of the presidium of ‘Krunk’ organization, informed me that every day eight trucks drove along to Sumgayit to transport the properties of the refugees so I could leave for Sumgayit with them. However, Maxim Mirzoyan, the director of the train of machines, told me that the departure of the trucks was delayed for two days. Later on he said that a resident of Sumgayit, Suren Danielyan, who was going to transport his property, would help me there.

[1] An Armenian word used to describe the tragic events of 1915-1923 in Western Armenia, Eastern Armenia, all over the territory of Turkey and the South Caucasus before the term of “Genocide” (“Tseghaspanoutiuon” in Armenian) became of international use.